Hundreds of Hanoians on Friday queued up for hours outside the first Uniqlo store to grace the capital despite the ongoing novel coronavirus threat. 

Lines formed hours ahead of 9:30 a.m., when the store officially opened at Vincom Pham Ngoc Thach in downtown Dong Da District.

The Japanese casual fashion retailer’s second outlet in Vietnam opened three months after its first in Ho Chi Minh City. The two-story Hanoi outlet covers 2,500-square-meters and is Uniqlo’s fourth largest in Southeast Asia.

Customers wearing masks had to undergo body temperature checks before entering the store.

CEO of Uniqlo Vietnam Osamu Ikezoe (R) and colleagues participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony. Ikezoe said more stores are planned for Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the next five years.

Only 50 customers are allowed in at a time to avoid large crowds. Customers include senior citizens, students and children.

Many showed interests in products under VND500,000 ($22). Some contacted friends and family to buy products on their behalf. Most customers bought between five and 10 items.

Customers could design a shirt themselves for VND400,000 ($17) by selecting Uniqlo templates from a tablet.

With 20 check-out counters, most customers did not have to wait long to pay for their purchases. But there were times when all fitting rooms were occupied.

The store welcomed 600 customers in the first two hours.

Ikezoe said Vietnam is a potential market with a young population and high GDP growth.

He added the ongoing coronavirus epidemic could slow Uniqlo’s production in Vietnam during the next two months.

“However, we’ll try our best to ensure stocks are full.”